Atrial fibrillation, or “AFib,” is a common heart condition where the heart beats in an irregular and often very fast way. This can cause blood to pool in the heart, increasing the risk of blood clots and strokes.
In Europe alone, about 10 million people live with AFib, including 700,000 in Spain. Until now, the way doctors studied AFib had major limitations—but a new discovery is about to change that.
In the past, doctors mainly looked at how long someone had AFib to decide how serious it was. But this approach was incomplete—like knowing how long a pot has been boiling without knowing how hot it is. It didn’t show the whole picture of what was going on inside the heart.
That’s where Dr. David Filgueiras and a team of researchers come in. After a decade of work involving experts from different countries, they’ve come up with a new way to study AFib—one that gives doctors much more detailed information.
Here’s the breakthrough: the team figured out how to measure the heart’s electrical signals and its pumping action at the same time—without needing to touch the heart. Think of it like watching and listening to a concert from outside the theater but still getting all the details.
Using this method, they studied 83 patients who had recently started showing signs of AFib. What they found was surprising: in many patients, the electrical and mechanical parts of the heart were out of sync—like a drummer playing too fast for a dancer to follow. This mismatch often appeared in the early stages of AFib.
And that’s the key. This mismatch can act as an early warning sign that the condition is getting worse. If doctors can catch it early, they have a better chance of helping patients before the problem becomes more serious.
Why is this so important? First, it’s non-invasive—doctors don’t have to go inside the heart to get this information. That makes it safer and easier for patients. Second, it gives doctors a clearer view of what’s happening, so they can plan treatments that fit each person’s specific needs.
Dr. Filgueiras said this new way of monitoring the heart could help doctors better predict how AFib will progress in each patient. Other heart experts, like Dr. Julián Pérez Villacastín, believe this research will lead to more personalized treatments, improving care for millions of people.
In simple terms, this new method gives doctors a better tool to fight a common and dangerous heart condition. It’s a major step forward in the world of heart health.
The study was published in Nature Communications.
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